Thunder in the West Volume 32

Richard W. Etulain is Professor Emeritus of History and former director of the Center for the American West at the University of New Mexico. He has served as editor of the New Mexico Historical Review and is the author or editor of more than 60 books, including Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West, Telling Western Stories: From Buffalo Bill to Larry McMurtry, and The Life and Legends of Calamity Jane.

“In this well-written, carefully researched, and thoughtfully presented account, Richard W. Etulain offers the gold standard in the fields of history and lore on Lincoln County, New Mexico, and Billy the Kid.”—David V. Holtby, author of Forty-Seventh Star: New Mexico’s Struggle for Statehood “Thunder in the West is not just a biography of America’s most famous outlaw but also a study in how the young killer has been viewed against the background of a changing America.”— Sunday Denver Post “Richard W. Etulain is one of the best known writers of the Wild West. His latest, Thunder in the West, deals with not only the biographical aspects of Kid’s life but also delves into aspects of how the Kid has been treated in the century plus since his death in 1881. Of significant importance is Etulain’s treatment of the many writers and researchers who have been fascinated with the Kid’s story, producing a mountain of books and articles as well as films dealing with some aspect of the Kid’s life. Many readers will be familiar with some of these but Etulain has somehow dug deeper than others. Highly recommend!”—Tombstone Epitaph “As an introduction to Billy the Kid and New Mexico’s Lincoln County War, Thunder in the West is solid, carefully researched, and well written. It also serves as a guide to areas for western historians’ further research. Along with this book, Etulain’s companion volume, Billy the Kid: A Reader’sGuide (University of Oklahoma Press, 2020) offers a strong research base from which to expand. These are two fine volumes emanating from a distinguished western scholar.”--- Southwestern Historical Quarterly “Dr. Etulain had spent decades researching The Kid, searching exhaustively for facts about his life, his death, and everything that has come since. Thunder in the West is the culmination of his efforts, and is a valuable resource not only for professional or amateur Billy historians, but even for the casual reader who is merely fascinated or curious about The Life and Legends of Billy the Kid.”—Panhandle Plains Historical Review